The Case of the Disappearing Corpse
by Maisy13
Summary: Grissom and crew are called out to a frat house when a Halloween party goes horribly wrong. Or has it. Sara pops in from her day off on the swing shift to help out, and get some time with Grissom. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CSI or any of its characters. That honor belongs to Anthony Zuiker and many others.

**A/n:** So, this is my Halloween fic, which was meant to be a one shot, but decided it would rather not be. :P:P We'll see where it goes together, shall we? Reviews are appreciated. :D:D

* * *

"_Are you okay?" Sharon Story looked up into the concerned eyes of David Jacobs. Her stomach flipped with dismay as she realized that the boy she'd had a crush on since freshman year was talking to her and she was curled around the toilet of his fraternity. _

"_Uh, ye-yeah. I-I'm fine." She said, then cringed inwardly. Duh, he can see you're not fine. But, maybe it would make him go away. Anything to get him to go away. She so hated being seen like this. And by HIM! Closing her eyes, she prayed he'd be gone when she opened them. After long moments of silence, she opened them again and nearly fainted at the sight before her. He was still standing there, but there was blood running down from a slash across his throat, and he was slowly falling to the ground. Sharon watched in horror as he crumpled in the doorway. _

_The music blared from the speakers, drowning out the scream that was coming from upstairs. When someone did hear it, they ignored it. It was a Halloween party after all, and a few screams made the party better. It wasn't until a girl came running down the stairs, still screaming and trailing bloody footprints that anyone took notice. They watched as Sharon collapsed in the entry way, heaving what was left of the contents of her stomach, and yelling that David Jacobs had been killed. _

Grissom slammed the door shut and started up the walk, ignoring the stares of the teens crowded around the lawn. Jim stood at the doorway awaiting his approach. "Sorry to call you in early, but the swing shift was tapped out, what with Sara being off toni..." Brass stopped as he realized just exactly what this may have interrupted. "Well…ur... I AM sorry, but what can you do?" He rushed on to the particulars of the case. "So, girl comes screaming down the stairs, trailing blood saying that a boy," Brass looked at his notes, "one David Jacobs had been killed, but when we got here we didn't find a body. We did find a huge pool of blood, but no body, and no trail of blood leading away from the pool. Patrolman figured it was a joke, but the girl is insistent. Figured the only way to get to the bottom of this was get the facts, forensically.

Grissom nodded and followed him inside the house, trying not to think of the vegetable lasagna that was getting cold at home, or of dessert that was going to come after the lasagna. He didn't mind being called into work, but if this turned out to be a hoax he wouldn't be in the mood to be lenient. Skirting the bloody footprints, he and Jim made their way upstairs to the blood pool. He noted that the only trail leading from the blood were the footprints that lead downstairs. He also noted that from the amount of blood in the pool, if it was indeed human blood, the person who lost it wouldn't be walking around. Opening his kit, he took out a testing kit. Taking a sample of the blood, he dropped it on the test strip and waited. Within a couple of minutes, two blue lines appeared. He sighed, and glanced around the area. "Well, looks like there'll be no treats for someone this Halloween.

* * *

Sara picked her way through the people standing around the front yard and made her way into the house. She came upon Warrick dusting the staircase for prints. "Hey, find anything interesting?" 

Warrick looked up with a warm smile. "Hey, what're you doing here?"

Sara smiled back. "Found myself with a bit of free time. Thought you guys could use some help."

Warrick nodded and turned back toward the newel post. "Well, we can always use that." He grunted with annoyance. "For instance, if you'd been here before you could've asked me why I thought it would be beneficial to dust the staircase banister in a frat house."

"Tons of prints that will probably never lead anywhere?" Sara guessed.

"You got it. Maybe they're having better luck upstairs. We have a body that disappeared, and a pool of blood that has to belong to someone and that someone doesn't have much chance of having a pulse."

A shiver ran down Sara's spine. She looked around, feeling as though she were being watched. Rubbing her arms, she glanced up the stairs.

Warrick smiled, ignoring the tingling at the back of his neck. He put it down to it being Halloween, and being at a scene of a crime. "He's upstairs by the way."

Sara quirked an eyebrow. "Warrick, just because he and I are together doesn't mean that I don't still want to talk to you guys. I miss you."

Warrick cupped her shoulder, and grinned. "I know that, but this isn't one of those times." He said with understanding.

She shrugged. "I'll go say hi, and let him know I'm here, and then I'll get busy." She smiled and started up the stairs, the feeling of being watched following her as she went.

* * *

Grissom looked up as she rounded the corner and smiled. "Hey, shouldn't you be at home keeping Bruno company?" 

Sara shook her head. "Bruno's tired of me. He practically jumped for joy when I left. So, what's going on here?" She glanced around at the blood pool. "Only one blood trail leading away from the pool, and they belong to the woman who 'discovered' the body?"

"So it seems." He gestured to the hallway. "Lots of prints, which is not unexpected, but do you notice what IS missing?"

Sara looked around. "The witness said that the victim's throat was cut, so where's the arterial spray?" Sara studied the floor. "Only disturbance in the blood pool is the witness's footprints. Bodies don't fall gracefully. It shouldn't be this neat."

"Exactly." Grissom nodded.

Nick came up the back stairs, and strode up to them. "Hey Sar, nice to see you." He turned to Grissom. "No matter how hard I try, I can't find any sign of a murder weapon, or evidence that someone carried one. No blood drops or smears. No bloody fingerprints, and slitting a throat isn't neat. The killer would have blood on their hands. If the test is right, and this is human blood, is it the victims? Or IS there a victim? Remember that case a few years ago that you worked Sara? The woman who wanted to leave her boyfriend, so she faked her death, using blood she'd had drawn over the course of a few weeks? Maybe this kid did the same thing."

Grissom opened his mouth to say something, but was forestalled when screams rent the air coming from the front lawn. As one, they turned and headed downstairs.

* * *

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** CBS and Anthony Zuiker own CSI, I only borrow the characters for a bit of fun.

**Thanks to:** WalkerTRnger, Graymoon74, Aussieforgood, Your Misanthropic Humanitarian, rebirthfry, CSIGeekfan, seattlecsifan, csijunkie no1 1, Haldir's Heart and Soul, Luvinx, RenLissa, and GSR'r **for your reviews**.

**A/n:** Hope you guys like this chapter. This is mostly to set up the next chapter, but I hope you find it entertaining.

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**Chapter 2**

_David Jacobs collapsed on the floor inside of the secret passage, nearly breathless from laughing. The look on Sharon's face had been priceless. "Oh man! I can't wait to tell Jeff about this!" He got to his feet and sauntered down the passage. He felt quite confident that he wouldn't be discovered as only a few people knew about the secret tunnels in the old house. He just wished he'd thought to put a flashlight inside the door. The place was pitch dark and he held out his hands to steady himself on the walls as he went. Jeff was going to lose it when he heard about this. He hadn't been sure who he would get with the gag, but it couldn't have turned out better. Months of planning had paid off. Turning the corner, he stopped when he saw a light up ahead. He shivered as the air around him turned colder. Inching forward, he called. "Jack? Is that you? Dude, you should've seen... Wait, who's there?" He stopped and squinted through the darkness. The light was moving, but away from him. He started toward it, his breath fogging in the cold. He called, "Whoever you are, could you come back here with the light?" It kept moving away. Muttering to himself, he hurried after it, stumbling in the darkness. Finally the light stopped. "Finally." He said, his teeth chattering in the cold, "Let's see who you are."

* * *

_

Grissom, Sara and Nick hurried down the stairs and out on the lawn where the screams were coming from. They found Brass and Warrick there, shooing the people who had gathered in a group around something on the ground. As they drew closer they saw what had caused the commotion. Lying on the ground was a young man. Grissom rushed over to him and felt for a pulse. "Call an ambulance!" He called and Brass radioed for one. He took note of the blood that was present around the neck of his shirt, and what looked like a slash across his throat. "Sara, come here."

Sara hurried over and bent down. "What does that look like to you?" He asked, pointing towards the wound.

Using her gloved hand, she felt the wound and pulled the corner away from the skin. "It's one of those fake wounds, you know, like fake scabs and knife wounds they sale at…" She looked up. "Are you thinking what I am?"

"Uh hum, I think we've found our corpse." He looked down as the boy started to moan. He opened his eyes and stared at them. His pupils were dilated, and he was mouthing something.

Nick leaned in. "What's he saying?"

Sara listened intently, and Grissom watched his lips. He mouthed the words after him. "She's waiting. She's waiting? Who? Who's waiting?" He touched the man's shoulder and leaned in closer. "It's okay, you're safe. Who'll get you?" But he just kept staring towards the house and mouthing 'She's waiting. The ambulance arrived, and they stepped back so that the EMTs could get to him. They strapped in to the gurney and loaded him into the van. Grissom stopped one of them as he was getting in. "Tell the ER not to let anyone but me or one of the other CSIs in to see him. We need to question him as soon as possible." The EMT nodded and jumped in to the van. Grissom turned around and found Brass. "Did you see what happened?"

He nodded. "I was getting statements when I heard a noise from the roof. I looked up in time to see him come flying through the air." He pointed to a window on the roof. "I think he came out of that window."

Grissom turned to look at the window and blinked as he saw a shadow move away from it. "Warrick." He called. Warrick jogged over from where he was standing. "Get up there and see what you can find, and make sure that no one is in there. I thought I saw someone up there. Take Nick with you, and take a uniform too, we don't need one of you flying through the air." Warrick nodded and he and Nick headed back in, snagging an officer on the way.

Sara turned to him. "Do you want me to go to the hospital to get a statement?" She didn't really want to go, she'd had her fill of hospitals, but she'd go if she had to.

Grissom sighed. "No, no I need you here. Call Catherine and get her to go by and get it, and get Greg to come out here. We need help taking all these statements. Until things change, we have two crime scenes here. Something's going on here, and if it's just someone playing a game I want them to know that I'm not willing to play." He glanced down at her and gave her a grin. "Not that all games are bad." He winked and headed back in. Sara stared after him, trying not to blush. Pulling out her cell phone she kept repeating, "Now is not the time, now is not the time." But a little devil whispered that game time could come later.

* * *

Warrick and Nick stood at the end of the hall as Officer Jensen cleared each room ahead of them. 

Nick cleared his throat and asked. "So, why do you think this kid jumped out of the window?"

Warrick shook his head. "We don't know that he did yet."

"C'mon man, who would do that? Cops swarming the place and someone decides to push someone out the window? It's not like they'd be able to go anywhere." They walked forward a little as each room was cleared, there guns at the ready just in case.

"People do dumb things. Take what this kid did in the first place." As he walked forward, he couldn't help but feel that they were being watched. He stayed on alert for any sign of someone hiding that Jensen had missed.

Nick was dealing with a feeling of his own. He could swear that cobwebs were brushing the back of his neck, but he couldn't see any. He hunched his shoulders and rolled his head back, hoping to use the back of his vest to clear any stray web away. Warrick noticed this and gave him a questioning look. Nick shrugged at him and returned his attention to the hall in front of him. Jensen had reached the end of the hall, and had opened the last door. Behind the door a staircase led up to the attic. He looked back at them. "If someone is here, they'll be up there."

They nodded and followed him up.

* * *

Catherine walked into the hospital shaking her head. In this job she'd seen every stupid thing a kid could pull, but this one took the cake. Faking a murder and then jumping out of a window for whatever reason was just the epitome of stupidity. Sometimes thinking about Lindsey being out there in this made her wish she could put her in one of those biosphere projects, but the saner part of her told her that wouldn't be a good thing. You learn from your mistakes. She just hoped that Lindsey could learn some things sooner than she had. Clearing her mind, she walked up to the nurse's station. Showing her ID, she said. "Hi, I'm Catherine Willows from the Crime Lab; I need to talk to David Jacobs. He was brought in about thirty minutes ago." 

The nurse nodded and checked the computer for his whereabouts. "He's down the hall in eval-room 5. He's been sedated, so I'm not sure how much he can tell you, but you can try."

Catherine nodded and headed down the hall. She reached the room and knocked lightly on the door before entering. She watched the young man lying there, eyes closed. He looked so young. Sighing, she put her hand out and touched his shoulder. "Mr. Jac…" He jumped, and his eyes popped open at her touch. He jerked away from her and she pulled back her hand. "It's okay. I'm sorry Mr. Jacobs; I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Catherine Willows from the Crime Lab. I'm here to take your statement."

For a moment he didn't say anything, then his voice horse and scratchy, "She's not done."

Catherine squinted, shaking her head. "Who? Who's not done?

He just shook his head and turned away. "Look, you need to tell me what you know, and if someone else is involved you've got to tell me."

He looked back at her. "There's nothing you can do. You just can't understand."

"Well, why don't you try me?" Catherine encouraged. "Just start from the beginning."

He watched her for a moment then nodded.

* * *

Sara rubbed her temples and walked over to where Grissom and Greg were standing. "So far everyone says the same thing. They didn't see anything until David came sailing out of the window. They didn't see him before that, and they didn't see anyone else." 

Greg nodded. "I'm got the same answers. When I asked them when they last saw David they said it was earlier at the party. He seemed in good spirits, and no one noticed anything odd about his behavior."

Grissom looked over the crowd. "It seems obvious that he pulled the prank in the first place. Hopefully Catherine will find out why he jumped out of the window. As soon as Nick and Warrick get back, we'll get back in to finish up in there so the students that live here can get back in." He looked up as a car squealed to a stop outside of the cordoned off area. A man dressed in scrubs jumped out, and jogged over to the police tape.

They watched as Brass walked up to him. They couldn't hear what he was saying at first, but as he talked, his voice rose. They walked over to him. "…and I want to know where he is!" He was saying as they stepped up.

"Hold on now." Brass urged. "You're saying he's your brother?" He pulled out his notebook and began writing. "What's your name?"

"Jeff. Jeff Jacobs." He said his hands on his hips. "And I want to know where my bother David is right now."

Brass shifted his eyes to look at him without lifting his head. "Your brother is at the hospital."

"Why? Why is he there?" He shifted, towards the people who had just walked up. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Grissom stepped forward. "We're not certain of everything right now, but it looks like your brother pulled a serious prank, causing a young woman to think he'd been murdered. She's also at the hospital, recovering from shock. Your brother then jumped out of the window up there." He motioned towards the roof. "Do you know if your brother's been depressed lately? Or had any problems? Maybe he's not doing well in school, or has a problem with his social life?"

"No. No, nothing like that. He's one of the happiest guys I know. He's a straight A student, and very popular with girls. There's no way he would ever jump out of a window on his own." He stared off towards the house. "He…he must have been pushed." He looked back at them, and nodded. "That's the only thing that makes sense."

Grissom contemplated this. He had thought he'd seem someone, but it could have been a shadow from something outside being cast onto the window. "We have people searching the house and if they find anyone we'll see if they question them, but I have to tell you, we searched the property before your brother fell out of the window, and we didn't find anyone."

"Not even my bother?" Jeff asked, his eyebrow cocked.

Grissom looked at Sara then turned back to him, moistening his lips, he said. "You're right, we didn't find your brother. Would you know why?"

Jeff hesitated, thinking. "There is… there is a secret passage. Not many know about it. He was probably in there. It leads up to the attic, which is where that window is. See, if Jacob was in there with someone, they could've thrown him out and be hiding out in there."

Brass blinked. "And who would that person be? Do you know of anyone who would want your brother dead?" Jeff didn't answer. "Come on son, no use closing your trap now. Is there someone who would wish your brother harm?"

Jeff cleared his throat. "I can't think of any**ONE." **He emphasized.

Brass exhaled and rolled his eyes. "And what does that mean?"

Jeff shook his head. "Nothing man, forget I said anything. I'm sure that I don't know of anyone who'd do this, but I'm sure that he was pushed."

Grissom and Brass shared a look before Brass made a decision. "We'd like a full statement." He turned to Greg. "Greg, can you get his statement while we finish up here?" Greg nodded, and Brass turned back to Jeff. "This is CSI Sanders. He'll take your statement, and then when he's done, you can go to the hospital to see your brother."

Greg stepped up and gestured to the car outside of the line, and they walked over, Greg leaned against the hood and pulled out his notebook. Brass turned to Grissom. "Do you think he's telling the truth?"

Grissom shrugged. "I think what he said was truthful, I just wonder about what he's not saying."

"Yeah, me to…" He was interrupted by a commotion from the house. They looked up to see Officer Jensen running from the house. Warrick and Nick came out right after him, but at a more leisurely pace. Jensen headed straight for Brass.

He arrived breathing heavily. "Sor-sorry Cap-Captain, but I-I can't go back in there." He bent at his waist, gasping for breath. Nick and Warrick ambled up.

Grissom looked at them. "What's wrong with Jensen?"

Nick shook his head, but Warrick answered. "We don't know. We were searching the attic when all of the sudden he took off, flew right past us."

Grissom turned to Jensen. "Well… what happened?"

Jensen stared for a moment, looking thoughtful, finally saying. "I can deal with a lot, but I don't deal with ghosts."

* * *

**TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** CBS and Anthony Zuiker own CSI, I only borrow the characters for a bit of fun.

**Thanks to:** Everyone who reviewed. :D:D

**A/n:** Sorry this is so late. I've had computer problems, personal problems, and a general problem with what's about to happen on the show. I hope it was worth the wait.

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**Chapter 3**

Grissom stared at him for several seconds, and then turned to Warrick and Nick. "Did you find anything?"

Nick answered, trying not to smile. "Well uh, the places we checked were clear, and from what I could see the attic was clear also. We um, we only saw it for a couple of seconds though."

Jensen jumped in. "Yeah, it was clear… of people, but there WAS something else there."

Brass cleared his throat. "Jensen, I know you might have been a bit spooked, the house is decorated with some pretty gory stuff, and it is Halloween night. Maybe you're just a little on edge."

Jensen shook his head. "No, no that's not it. I've seen some really gory stuff in my time. I was the biggest prankster in my collage fraternity, and it takes a lot to spook me. This, this was something else."

Grissom and Brass shared a look. Brass sighed and asked. "So, okay, what did you see?"

Jensen was silent for a moment, and then he spoke. "Everything was normal at first. We cleared the floors as we went, found nothing. Then I headed up to the attic. It looked fine at first, like any other normal attic, but then I saw something. It was a shadow, and I know what you're going to say, shadows happen, but this one was different. It didn't come from us, it was against the wrong wall for that, and when I ran my light over it, it didn't go away. Still, I didn't panic. I looked around for something that could make it. A person, a coat rack, something, but again, nothing, but the shadow was still there. Then, then it moved. Nick and Warrick were across the room, and weren't moving, but this shadow was. It moved toward the right, and then just disappeared. I'll admit I was startled, and maybe I ran, but it doesn't mean I didn't see what I saw. Someone was there, but it wasn't a person."

"That would be Vanessa Clark." Jeff spoke from a few feet away. They all turned to him.

"Was this Vanessa Clark in on this prank?" Brass asked. "If she's still in the house we need to find her so we can question her."

"No. No she's not in on the prank. Vanessa Clark was a student here twenty years ago. She was at a Halloween party here and things got a little out of hand. Some guys took a prank a bit too far and she ended up falling out of the attic window. At least they said she fell, but a lot of people believe she was pushed, only no one was able to prove it. Most people believe she got her revenge on the two guys involved. They both committed suicide within a year of her death. Some believe that they couldn't live with what they did, but a lot more of us believe that Vanessa made them pay. In any case, since then strange things happen. Footsteps on the stairs to the attic when no one is there, shadows on the walls that disappear. The guys know not to break up with their girlfriends here, or mistreat them, because something always ends up happening to them. From missing term papers, to their alarms going off all night long. Vanessa feels like she should stand up for the girls that can't."

Once again silence reigned. Finally Grissom spoke up. "That's a nice Halloween story, but I think it's far more likely that someone used the myth as a way to seek their revenge, or as a cheep thrill." He turned to Warrick and Nick. "Get back up to the attic, and take Jacobs here with you. Seems there's a secret passage that leads there and that's most likely where our 'ghost' is hiding."

Warrick and Nick nodded, grabbed Jeff and headed back in. Grissom turned to Sara. "What do you think?"

Sara shook her head. "I don't know. I don't write off the existence of ghosts, but…" She was interrupted by her phone. "It's Catherine. Hey Cath, did you get anything out of Mr. Jacobs?"

"Just that he says he didn't jump out of the window, he says…"

"A ghost pushed him?" Sara finished.

After a moment of silence Catherine laughed. "He's rubbing off on you. I suppose you have a name for this ghost."

"Vanessa Clark. A victim of a prank gone wrong. Grissom of course doesn't believe that for a second, but I like to think it's not totally out of the realm of possibility. I guess it's just nice to think that a victim can get a measure of justice.

Catherine was silent for a moment, then she sighed. "Yeah, I guess that is a nice thought. Listen, do you need me for anything else? Lindsey was throwing a Halloween party tonight and I wouldn't mind going by to check things out."

Sara smiled. "Hold on, I'll ask Gil." Sara turned to him, "Hey, do you need anything more from Catherine's end?"

Grissom thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Tell her she's free to go. Just make sure she saves me a candy apple."

Sara relayed the message, and Cath laughed. "I'll see what I can do, but I'll be lucky if I get one." She rang off and Sara turned to Grissom. "You know, I happen to know how to make candy apples. I'd be glad to make you a couple."

Grissom licked his lips, and waggled his eyebrows. "Well, well, well, seems you still have a few surprises tucked away."

Sara edged closer and whispered, "Baby, you don't know the half of it, and as soon as we've wrapped up this case I'll let you in on a few." She turned and walked over the waiting crowd to continue taking statements.

Grissom's heart skipped a beat as he watched her walk away, the sway of her hips mesmerizing him. A second later his thoughts were interrupted by a scream from the house."

* * *

Nick, Warrick and Jeff entered the house, the two CSI's once again on alert for any movement. They made their way to the second floor. Jeff followed them, but made sure they stayed in front of him. They turned to him. "So, where's this secret passage?" Nick asked. He pointed to a panel in the wall a couple of feet from where the bathroom door was. "Open it." Nick moved aside so he could pass him. 

Jeff walked up to the wall and felt along the baseboard. The panel popped open, and Warrick gestured for Jeff to precede them into the passage. They started walking, Warrick and Nick pulled out their flashlights. They had only gone a few feet when they heard a noise from up ahead. Training their lights on the far end of the passage, the two CSI's sped up their pace, Jeff too sped up not wanting to be left alone. They weren't tying to hide their presence, so they made quite a lot of noise as they made their way down the passage. Suddenly they heard a loud bang and stopped short, making Jeff swerve to the left to avoid running into them. "Do you guys mind giving a guy a little warning?" He gasped as he leaned against the wall, catching his breath.

Warrick and Nick waved for him to be quiet, and they started to creep forward. Jeff straightened and watched as they waved their lights around, looking for the source of the sound. Suddenly he felt coldness on his neck. He rubbed his neck and moved away from the wall, and the draft he'd felt there. But the cold stayed with him. In fact, it was spreading. Shivering, he opened his mouth to ask if the other two felt the cold, but as he was about to ask, he felt a tug on his ear. A scream erupted from his mouth instead of the intended question, and without thinking he turned and ran toward the entrance.

Nick and Warrick turned and watched him flee. After a moment they shrugged. "He's not going to get too far." Warrick justified not going after hm.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, we've got the place surrounded. I think it's better for us to stick with the search." Warrick grinned in agreement, and they both turned to continue down the passage. They didn't hear any more noise, but they were sure that someone was there. They'd only gone a couple more feet when they heard the passage door open behind them. They turned and found Grissom and Sara rushing toward them.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Sara asked, panting.

"Um, yeah. What are you guys doing here?" Nick asked, concerned.

"Jeff came running out of the house mumbling about someone attacking him. We thought maybe you'd found a suspect, and when you didn't come out after him, we thought we'd better check it out." Grissom took out his flashlight and shined it on them. "So what attacked him?"

Warrick laughed. "I don't know man. We were investigating some noises up ahead when he jumped three feet in the air and screamed, taking off out of here."

Grissom grunted. "Well we couldn't get much out of him. Well since we're here, what do you say we continue, I want to get this case wrapped up."

Nick spoke before thinking. "Yeah? What do you have, a hot date?"

As soon as the word left his mouth, he slapped his hand over it. Grissom just gave him a dry look, and Sara turned away, a tell tale blush on her cheeks. Warrick coughed to suppress a laugh, and Nick sputtered to explain. "What I meant was… I mean you don't have to have a reason…" he trailed off, his face flaming brighter than a Jack-o-lantern.

They were surprised when Grissom answered. "Actually I do. I have to take Hank out for his morning walk." Nick just nodded, keeping his mouth shut lest something else slipped out, and Warrick chuckled.

Sara cleared her throat. "Okay, so are we ready to catch this guy?"

They all nodded and turned to continue down the passage. As they walked Sara's mind was on getting home. She knew Grissom had been truthful about walking Hank, but it was what would come after that she was anticipating. She had a lot of doubts right now, but the one thing she didn't doubt was Grissom's love for her. She couldn't help but think that, professionally she needed a change. A break from all the death around her. She glanced over at Grissom. She just didn't know how to tell him her feelings, which was stupid since he'd gone through something similar earlier in the year. If anyone would understand it'd be him. She just kept hoping that she'd pull out of it, and that a day would come when she didn't remember being stuck under that car, or that long trek in the desert.

Grissom glanced over and saw Sara looking at him. He couldn't help but notice the shadows in her eyes. Sometimes he felt helpless to help her. He knew she had something on her mind, but she never talked about it, and he didn't want to press her. He knew she'd talk to him when she felt like it. Frankly he had his own issues to deal with. When he'd thought he'd lost her he'd felt like his life was over. Having her back was like a dream. A dream he was afraid he was going to wake up from. He looked over at her again; her face in profile looked delicate in the glow from the flashlights. His heart swelled with love as she reached up and pushed back her hair. He swore that he'd always be there for her, no matter what she wanted. If she asked him to, he'd quit his job and travel the world with her. She glanced back over and their eyes met again. This time there as no shadow, just love and passion. They had both slowed down to a near stop when the heard a noise from up ahead. They turned back to face it, and moved forward to catch up with the guys. As they walked Grissom felt as if a warm blanket had been spread over his shoulders. He felt warm and comforted, and like all was well in the world. Sara too felt this. For the first time in quite some time she felt like she could handle anything that was thrown at her.

Smiling to themselves they caught up with Nick and Warrick who had stopped a few feet ahead of them. Suddenly Nick darted forward and sped down the passage, Warrick took off after him. When Grissom and Sara caught up they found them struggling with a figure in black. Finally they had him controlled and they pulled off the black ski mask covering the suspects face. Blond curls tumbled down, and a very peeved face looked up at them. Nick smirked down at her. "Well, well, well, looks like our ghost isn't so ghostly."

* * *

_Jill Carson sat in the back of the police cruiser staring out the window. 'Damn David Jacobs!' She thought. 'This was all his fault! First he humiliated her at a party and because of that she been forced to punish him, and now SHE was the one in trouble.' Though he WAS in the hospital with several broken bones. The thought of that made her smile. 'That would teach him to ignore her.' She reached up and smoothed back her hair. She looked out the window and watched as two of the people who'd caught her talked a few feet away. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but from the amount of times the man touched the woman she figured they had to be together. The woman did her fair share of touching too, and Jill couldn't help but be envious. The love between the two was obvious. Jill sighed and murmured, "Some girls have all the luck."_

"…then she slipped into the passage and waited until he came along. She lured him into the attic and hid until the moment was right, then she pushed him out of the widow. I called the hospital and talked to David Jacobs. The reason he'd told Catherine the ghost did it is that before he felt the push he'd smelled the scent of lilacs. I talked to a few other frat guys and they all said that sometimes the scent of lilacs will permeate the room. They associate the scent with the ghost." Sara trailed off and looked up at the house.

Grissom reached out and clasped her hand. "What? What is it?"

She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles and sighed. "I don't know. I just, well here's another crazy woman, taking revenge for an imagined slight to an insane conclusion. David didn't even remember her when I told him who pushed him. I told him what we'd found out from Miss Carson, that he'd chatted with her at a party, and then left with another girl. He says he talks to lots of girls, and doesn't remember her specifically." Staring up at the attic she heaved a heavy sigh. "All in all, I wish it had been a ghost out for justice. Oddly enough, that would make more sense."

Grissom pulled her to him and nuzzled her hair, not thinking of those watching. "I think that it might be a good idea if you took a little break. I always thought you came back too soon. Everyone needs a break sometimes."

Sara turned to him and gazed into his eyes, seeing the concern and love there. "I don't know. I'll think about it." Suddenly she smiled. "For now what do you say we go home and I'll try to discover a few more of your secrets, maybe play a few games?

Grissom chuckled. "Your wish is my command. Maybe we can find some use for all the leftover candy we'll have. I wouldn't want all that candy corn to go to waste."

Sara smiled, and nodded. Hand in hand they walked to the car, content in the moment.

* * *

_From the attic a shadowy figure watched as the couple got into the car and drove off. Smiling to herself, the ghost of Vanessa Clark turned and headed downstairs. Those two almost made her wish she was alive again. Oh well, no sense in looking back. All she could do was make the best of what she had. She found joy in standing up for the innocent woman the frat boys treated so badly, and playing her little tricks on them. She hoped that their experiences with her taught them to be more respectful in future. She did what she could. It was a fulfilling existence. Especially when she met people like Grissom and Sara, and she couldn't help but think that there needed to be more people like them in the world. _

**The End.**

* * *

**A/n2:** I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to this story. It turned out a bit different than I expected, but where the story leads I follow. I don't think I'll be writing any more until after Goodbye and Good luck airs. I just don't have the concentration, what with that and some other things going on in my life. But I promise I will continue writing and I want to think all the loyal readers that I have. Your reviews have given me joy in a time where I find little of it. I'm planning my next casefile, and of course Sara will continue to be in my stories. How she's in them depends on what they do in the show. If the writers pull some stupid trick and make her leave Grissom, hurting him, then my stories will go on as if that never happened. If they have her just take some time off then I'll work around that. Either way will fit with the story I have planned. 


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